Equinox and Solstice
by RavensBear
Summary: The first day of each season is a mystical time when the sun aligns and seasons change. In Storybrooke, without magic, even the most powerful dark witch must celebrate each day as a mere mortal.


Equinox and Solstice

By RavenBear

Rated T for now-might slide it up to M for future chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything from OUaT. I just like to take them out of the box and play with them for awhile.

Thanks for taking the time to read my story Feel free to send me a message and let me know what you think. ~Raven

SUMMER SOLSTICE

Emma's cell phone rang mid-morning, just as she was folding the last load of her clothes in the downstairs communal laundry room. Saturday mornings were her favorite part of the week; the work week was over and the entire weekend still lay ahead, looming large and full of promise. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out the small, rectangular phone while she continued to fold the still warm cotton boy-shorts and 'wife beater' tank tops that she favored as lingerie.

She rolled her eyes when she checked the caller i.d. _Regina Mills Home _

_Seriously? On a Saturday?_ She thought as she grimaced and answered the call. "Sheriff Swan."

"Hey Emma!" Henry's voice.

"Oh…" She felt her shoulders relax and she blew out the breath she had been holding. "Hey kid, what's up?" She reached for another pair of royal blue undies and folded them neatly before adding them to the laundry basket.

"Do you want to go swimming with me today?" She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"Um, sure. I've got a couple things to do this morning, but they shouldn't take me very long." She thought of the pedicure she had been promising to give herself. "Where are we going to swim?" She wondered if the city even had a public pool.

"My house." He said brightly.

"You have a pool?" Emma had spent a fair amount of time with Henry at the Mayor's house, but she never noticed a pool.

"Duh. My mom has everything."

_Of course she does_. "Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Just come to the backyard and go around the house. I'll see ya soon!"

He hung up the phone before she had a chance to say goodbye. She paused. _Do I still even have my bathing suit? _ She thought she might have seen it in the small box marked 'summer clothes', but she wasn't certain.

She carried the basket full of clean laundry up the basement stairs and into the apartment that she shared with Mary Margaret Blanchard. The elementary school teacher looked up from the kitchen table when she heard the door open. "Coffee's hot if you want some."

"Thanks, but I have to pass." Emma apologized as she went upstairs to her room.

The brunette shrugged before taking a swallow from her own mug and returning to the small stack of ungraded papers.

She quickly put the clothing away in the drawers and small closet before searching for the box that hopefully contained her suit.

She used her small pocket knife to neatly cut through the packing tape that held the top folds of the box closed. Once the folds were freed, she opened them and searched through the denim shorts, casual summer dresses and flip-flops. At the bottom of the box she spied the bright red nylon suit and seized it victoriously. _Yes! _

Emma laid the one-piece out on her bed, adding a pair of denim cutoff shorts and a white t-shirt that was embroidered with red thread to read 'Wakulla Springs State Park- Lifeguard_'._ _That's what I saw in Tallahassee. _She mused about the question Regina had once asked her; remembering the deep freshwater springs, the wildlife and the swimming area she used to guard during the two summers she lived in Florida. _Oh yeah, and Laurie. _She recalled one of her fellow lifeguards who Emma had crushed on, though Laurie was very much in love with her boyfriend. _Her loss._

She took a quick shower, allowing herself the luxury of slowly shaving both legs until her skin felt silky smooth under the hot water. Once she was out of the shower and dry, she applied a liberal amount of sunscreen to her shoulders, legs, arms and face before getting dressed. She searched the small bathroom for another towel, finding only a pink threadbare one in the linen closet. _It'll have to do._ She tossed it and her wallet into a beachbag and slipped on a casual pair of flip flops. _Crap, my pedicure. _In her haste to get ready, she had forgotten about painting her toenails. She glanced down and noted that the existing shade of red was still in good condition. _Tomorrow. _She promised herself as she headed downstairs and out the door.

It was, Emma had to admit, a perfect summer day. It was as Storybrooke received a memo from Mother Nature herself, and provided a warm, sunny, magical start to the season.

Her car rattled to life on the second try, so she patted the dashboard. "That's a good girl, Bertha." Putting her bug into reverse, she slowly rolled out of the driveway and onto the street. She navigated the side streets until she reached town square. _Farmer's Market. _She remembered as she noticed the large crowd gathered on the east side of the old library. _Looks like the sunshine brought out the whole town. _On a whim, she pulled over and parked near the outdoor tables that lined the grassy border of the town square.

"Good morning, Sheriff." She was cheerfully greeted by a few of the townsfolk as she stood in line and surveyed the offerings. There was little in the way of fresh fruit or vegetables. _Too early in the season._ Emma realized as she looked over the baked goodies that Mrs. Anderson had on display. Some of the vendors had fresh strawberries and a few had small, red berries that she recognized as gooseberries.

"Sheriff, what would you like?" The older woman stood on the other side of the table and eyed the blonde.

"I'll take the strawberry-rhubarb pie and a loaf of honey wheat bread please. _Hope Henry likes this. _She hefted the pie as she gave the woman twelve dollars in exchange for the baked goods.

"Hey Rose." She waved at the busy healer who was selling fresh herbs and flowers from a small booth. The woman smiled and waved back at the blonde before turning her attention back to her customers.

Emma deftly drove the rest of the distance to the Mayor's house, which was located on the top of the highest hill in Storybrooke. Emma stepped out and, juggling the pie, her keys and her beach bag, headed through the small rod iron gate and entered the property. She could hear Henry laughing, so with a smile she quickened her step and walked around the back of the house. As she turned a corner she came upon a previously unseen area of the property.

A large cement patio surrounded the liver-shaped swimming pool. A well-used barbeque was nestled in one corner on a raised deck, next to a wooden picnic table. Emma's eyes browsed over the colorful purple irises and pink roses that were neatly growing in planter boxes around the perimeter of the patio.

She could see the edge of a wooden lattice cover, and as she rounded the corner, she noticed that it lead directly towards a sliding glass door leading inside the house. Her perusal was interrupted when she heard the distinct, and obviously irritated voice of Regina Mills.

For her part, Storybrooke's Mayor was looking forward to a relaxing June 21st. She had run her errands earlier in the day and now, having accomplished her goals, she planned to do nothing but layout in the sunshine and listen to Henry playing in the pool. _A perfect summer day. _She thought as she walked out of her house barefooted. A thin sarong hung low on her hips, covering the black bikini bottoms.

She was just getting truly relaxed, the sun lulling her into a sleepy dreamlike state; Henry's laughter providing the background to her pleasant daydreams. She was nearly asleep in the lounge chair when she heard the sounds of the Sheriff's deathtrap rattle down the street. The next thing she knew, the blonde was walking in her backyard.

"Miss Swan, is there something you need?"

Emma looked over and found the Mayor lying in the sun, on a lounge. She was wearing just a pair of oversized sunglasses and a black bikini that hugged every asset on her body. Emma's brain momentarily short-circuited, leaving her speechless. "Uh…" She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She sounded almost apologetic as she added. "Henry asked me to come swimming." She held up the plastic grocery bag. "I brought pie." She offered with a pained smile. _Shut up, Emma. _ She told herself as she watched the Mayor's expression change from irritated to pissed off.

"Henry!" Regina called towards the house.

The boy appeared, sporting a pair of navy blue swim trunks that ended below his knees, and an untucked white t-shirt. "Emma, you made it!" He held a frozen grape icepop in his hand.

"Henry." Regina demanded his attention. This time it was his turn to look afraid. "Did you ask Miss Swan to come over and swim with you?"

He had the decency to appear sheepish; he even hung his head as he answered. "Um, yeah."

Regina took a deep breath, which pushed the swell of her breasts further out of her bikini top. She eyed the blonde from behind her glasses before nodding. "It seems my son has taken it upon himself to invite you over without consulting with me." She let her eyes travel up from Emma's sandal clad feet to the fraying edge of her jean shorts. _Well, summer does have it's benefits. _She thought as she admired the creamy white skin that the Sheriff normally kept covered in tight fitting jeans. "However, in the spirit of summer, I will acquiesce and allow his invitation to stand." Emma cocked her head and tried to make sense of what the brunette had just uttered.

"So, I can stay?" Emma asked, only to have Regina sigh in irritation.

"That _is _what I said, Miss Swan; I suggest that you take advantage of my good mood and enjoy the pool." She closed her eyes and laid her head back down on the back of the chaise lounge. She turned her head and watched as the blond put the beachbag on the picnic table and pulled out a ragged towel. Regina raised her head slightly and called to her son. "Henry, take the pie and put it in the kitchen. Then please bring Miss Swan a _proper_ towel."

Emma blushed in embarrassment and shoved the pink towel back into the bag. She handed Henry the pie and watched as he retreated into the house. She was determined not to let the grouchy Mayor ruin a perfect day, so with a tug she pulled off her t-shirt and tossed it on the table next to the bag; she then turned her attention to her shorts. Unaware that the Mayor had turned her head just enough to watch the show, Emma unbuttoned the brass snap and pulled down the short zipper until she could slip the denim over her hips and gracefully remove one leg at a time. She folded the shorts tossed them on top of the shirt. Henry had returned with a large, pink and white striped towel in hand. "Thanks kid." She smiled as she accepted the offering. "You ready to swim?"

He grinned at her and pulled his shirt over his head. She watched as he executed a cannonball in the water, causing a large splash. She laughed as the water hit her shins. She walked to the water's edge and, noting the 9' marking on the tile, dove gracefully into the deep end. She emerged at the other end of the pool, touching the wall in the shallow end as she came up for air.

"Whoa!" Henry swam over towards her. "How did you do that?"

Emma laughed at how easily her son was impressed; but her ears picked up the unimpressed _hmphh _that came from the sunbathing brunette. _Screw you Regina, I'd like to see you try it._

Henry was oblivious to his mother's dismissal of the blonde's swimming abilities. "Mom, did you see that? She swam all the way across the pool!"

Regina turned her head to make it obvious that she was looking their way. "No Henry, I'm here to sunbathe, not to watch the Sheriff's little show."

His face screwed up in an unreadable expression as he watched his mother turn her face once again towards the sun. He turned his attention back to the blonde. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"Sure." She agreed as she splashed water on her shoulders and chest. The water was warmer than the outside air and she found that her skin was covered in goosebumps from standing up in the shallow end.

Henry's enthusiasm for learning waned when he realized it would take a bit more effort than he wanted to exert. "How about we just do cannonballs?" He smiled at his fellow swimmer.

"Sounds good to me." Emma agreed as she followed him up the metal steps and out of the pool.

Regina watched out of the corner of her eye as the blonde swam towards the steps. She allowed her head to turn a bit more when Emma climbed the stairs with her back towards the Mayor. The jean shorts hadn't done justice to Emma's now fully exposed legs. The brunette admired the Sheriff's well defined calf muscles as the blonde stepped onto the pool deck. Rivulets of water trickled down Emma's legs, causing her to leave behind a path of wet footprints. _Stop it, Regina. _ She chastised herself as she forced herself to close her eyes and try to relax.

Again, Henry executed a cannonball jump; he bent his knees and wrapped his arms around his shins right before he landed in the pool. Emma got a running start on her jump and followed behind him, leaving a bigger splash in her wake.

"Miss Swan!" Regina quickly sat up as a wave of water splashed on her body. She waited for the Sheriff to surface before lashing out at her. "Must you have to be so careless?" She reached for her towel and patted her legs and stomach dry.

Emma watched as the brunette ran the towel over her olive toned skin. _Even her stomach is nicely tanned. _She realized that normally the Mayor had a much fairer complexion, but Emma had always found the brunette to seem somewhat exotic. _Must be part Italian or Spanish or something. The sun brings it out in her._

Regina laid back down, placing her towel nearby; she had noticed the blonde watching her as she dried off. She smiled to herself. _Oh yeah, you've still got it. _ She had, when necessary, used her more sensual gifts to persuade people do to her bidding. _Not that I care that Miss Swan is obviously interested. _She assured herself as she slowly stretched languidly like a cat and returned to her sunworshipping. She ignored the laughter and splashing that came from the pool, and focused on the warm rays that caressed her skin.

This time it was a persistent beep that interrupted Regina's deep state of relaxation. She growled and rolled over to reach the annoying noise that emanated from her watch. _Time for more sunscreen. _She thought as she turned off the alarm. "Henry, sunscreen time." She called as she sat up on the lounge chair.

"NOW, Henry." She repeated emphatically when the boy continued to swim, ignoring her first call.

"Go on." Emma encouraged him; the last thing she needed was Henry getting in trouble. _Cause you know who Regina would blame. _She swam to the side of the pool near the Mayor and, resting her arms and chin on the pool side, watched as Regina slathered a liberal amount of creamy white sunscreen over Henry's exposed body.

"You need to let that soak in, so why don't you go make you and Emma sandwiches for lunch? There's lunchmeat and cheese in the fridge and a new bag of chips on the counter." Henry nodded and then looked at Emma."

"Do you want a sandwich?" He asked as he wrapped a towel around his body.

"Sure." Emma smiled, surprised and confused that the Mayor would encourage her to stay for lunch.

She watched as Henry disappeared into the house, leaving just her and the brunette alone. Uncomfortable with the silence between them, Emma felt compelled to speak. "I think I'll go, um, help Henry."

The Mayor gave her a sly smile. "Why don't you make yourself useful here instead?" She rolled onto her stomach and unsnapped her bikini top, fully exposing her back to Emma. "Be a dear and rub some oil on me."


End file.
